Binder for office folder

ABSTRACT

The improved binder is for use with a bail member including a base bar and the usual flexible prongs in which the binder forms the usual offsets or bights in the prongs, the invention residing in certain slides through which the prongs pass and are given the offsets by reason of movements of the slides, having latches to retain same in the binder with limited movements.

United States Patent Dalferes an. 1, 111.7

541 BINDER FOR OFFICE FOLDER FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72]Inventor: Anthony Wilmot Dalieres, P. O. Box 3088, 556,774 8/1932Germany ..402/17 Lafayette, La. 70501 18,249 1914 Great Britain......402/ 17 [22] Filed: Oct 31 1969 241,723 10/1925 Great Britain..402/17 [21] App1.No.: 872,920 Primary Examiner.lerome SchnallAttorney-Wilkinson, Mawhinney & Theibault [52] U.S. Cl ..402/17 511 Im.CI. [571 ABSTRACT [58] Field Of Search ..402/8, 9, 13, 14, 15, l6, 17The imprcved binder is for use with a bail member including a I base barand the usual flexible prongs in which the binder [56] References C'tedforms the usual offsets or bights in the prongs, the invention UNITEDSTATES PATENTS residing in certain slides through which the prongs passand are gIven the offsets by reason of movements of the slides, Graf 3having latches to retain same in the binder move- 1,408,480 3/1922 Smith..402/17 X mems 1,850,376 3/1932 Brennan ..402/17 3,042,985 7/1962Dalferes ..402/17 X 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENIEU Jam 8 m sum 1OF 2 ANTHONY WILMOT DALFERES UJQLIWJ e 5M Q! ATTORNEYS PATENTEUJANWIQYZ3,635,568

INVENTOR ANTHONY WILMOT DALFERES BY ,1 v

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ATTORNEYS BINDER FOR OFFICE FOLDER The present invention relates toBinder For Office Folder and has for an object certain improvements overmy prior US. Pat. No. 3,042,985 granted July 10, 1962.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the bulk of the patentedbinder and to simplify its parts and method of application.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce cost of manufactureand promote improved ease of operation.

A further object of the invention is to prove an improved constructionof binder in which any slippage of the prongs is prevented.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a form of office foldershowing a form of binder according to the invention applied thereto:

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the binder apart from thefolder:

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the binder with the cover or top memberremoved and the slide members in closed positions:

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1with the slide members in closed positions and the bights formed in theflexible prongs:

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of an end portion of the binder withthe slide member substantially withdrawn:

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5with the cover member in place, and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary end view of the folder showing the applicationof the novel binder thereto.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 designates a lower orbase member, 11 a cover member and 12 an intermediate member except thatin FIG. 3 showing a line of division by which an integral member 11 isor may be divided into two half sections 120 and 12b.

Slide members 13 and 14 are mounted to move in guideways which areprovided in the intermediate member 12.

In the base member are provided slots 15 and 16 which, as shown moreparticularly in FIG. 4, are in alignment or registry with the slots 17and 18 in the cover member 11. Slots 19 and 20 are made in the slidemembers 13 and 14. As shown in FIG. 6, when the slide members 13 and 14are pulled to the out position, the slots 19 and 20 in such slidemembers will register with the slots in the base and cover members 10and 11 so that flexible prongs 21 and 22 on a base bar 23 may beinserted through the registering slots. When the slide members are movedinwardly to the position of FIG. 4, double bights will be formed in theprongs 21 and 22.

The intermediate member 12 is provided with guideways 24 and 25 forreceiving the slide members 13 and 14 through open mouths 26 and 27 asbest seen in FIG. 2.

The guideways have at one side slide surfaces 28 and 20 for slidablyreceiving similar edge surfaces of the two slides 13 and 14.

In the intermediate member 12 are also transverse abut ments 30 and 31mating with similar conformations on the slides. Pilot cavities 32 and33, preferably substantially rectangular, are provided adjacent theabutments 30 and 31 and the latch strikes 34 and 35 are provided on theintermediate member 12 for a purpose later described, these latchstrikes being preferably of a generally square construction. Latch stops36 and 37 also project into the guideways 24 and 25 spaced inwardly ofthe latch strikes 34 and 35. Spaced inwardly of the latch strikes 34 and35 are latch stops 36 and 37, and spaced inwardly of the latch stops 36and 37 are inclined surfaces 38 and 39 leading to the pilot cavities 32and 33.

Still referring to FIG. 2, inner pilot projections 40 and 41 areprovided on the slide members 13 and 14 for fitting into the pilotcavities 32 and 35 provided at innermost portions of the guideways 24and 25. Adjacent the pilot projections 40 and 41 are shoulders 42 and 43to encounter the transverse abutments 30 and 31.

Still referring to FIG. 2, on the slides 13 and 14 are carried latchmembers 44 and 45 which, through the formation of slots 46 and 47, admitof a depressing pivotal movement for a purpose later described. Thelatch members 44 and 45 may be depressed by finger pieces 48 and 49thereon. The slides 13 and 14 also carry latch projections 50' and 51 inposition to cooperate with the latch strikes 34 and 35 as hereinafterexplained. The slides also carry stop projections 52 and 53 whichcooperate with the stops 36 and 37. These stop projections 52 and 53 areprovided by forming cutaway portions 54 and 55 in the slides so that theslides may have a hinging or pivotal movement moving into and out of thecutaway portions 54 and 55.

The latch projections 50 and 51 have inclined leading edges 56 and 57 tocooperate with the latch strikes 34 and 35. Opposite such inclinedleading edges 56 and 57 flat locking shoulders 58 and 59 are formed onthe latch projections 50 and 51.

In the use of the device, an office folder is shown in FIGS. 1 and 7with the device of the invention based on the top of the same with basebar 23 of the bail member lying beneath the folder as shown in FIG. 7and the flexible prongs 21 and 22 extending up through the folder andthence through the aligned slots 16, 19 and 18 and 15, 20 and 17. FIG. 6shows the alignment of the slots 15, 20 and 17 which occurs when theslides are pulled to the outward position of FIGS. 5 and 6. In otherwords, both slides are moved to the out position to align the slots 19and 20 of the slides with the respective slots 16 and 18 for the slide13 and 15, 17 for the slide 14.

When so aligned the flexible prongs may be inserted as shown in FIG. 2.Thereupon the slides are pushed to an inward position as shown in FIG. 3thus shifting the slide slots 19, 20 out of alignment with theirrespective pairs of slots 16, 18 and 15, 17. The result is illustratedin FIG. 4 in which double bights are formed in the prongs 21 and 22 andthe flexible prongs 21, 22 are, therefore, bound in tight engagement.

The members of the device may be of plastic material. The lower or basemember may be a nontransparent plastic, but it is preferred to make theintermediate member and the cover member out of transparent material.Any suitable means may be used to secure the various members togetheras, for instance, by fusion of the plastic material.

Also, the three members so connected. together in any suitable mannermay be in the form of a casing in which the ends are open to receive theslide members 13 and 14.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an initial position of one of the slides 14 in whichall three slots 15, 20 and 17 are in registration for the passagetherethrough of the flexible prong 22. In order to form the bight in theprong, as shown in FIG. 4, the slide 14 is simply pushed to the leftinwardly to the position shown in FIG. 3. This may be done by placingthe hand or a finger on the outer end of the slide 14 below the fingerpiece 49 and pushing inwardly from the slide. In so doing, the inclinedleading edge of the latch projection 51 will encounter the latch strike35 causing the member 45 to be depressed into the slot 47 thus enablingthe latch projection 51 to clear the latch strike 35. After the latchprojection 51 clears the latch strike 35, the inherent resiliency in theplastic material wili cause the projection 51 to move out back of thelatch strike 35 to the position of FIG. 3 thus preventing the slide 14from being pulled out except and until the finger piece 49 is depressedto enable the latch projection 51 to clear the inner edge of the latchstrike 35. The fingers of the hand can simply be engaged with the lowerportion of the slide 14 and the upper portion of the finger piece 49 andsqueezing operation then performed which will depress the latchprojection 51. At the same time the slide may be pulled in an outwarddirection.

In pulling the slide 14 outwardly the stop projection 53 will have movedoutwardly until it engages the latch stop 37 whereupon further outwardmovement of the slide 14 is ar rested. This arrangement prevents theslide or either of them from becoming accidentally or otherwisedisengaged from the case.

In initially assembling the slides 13 and 14 to the case, the uppersloping surface of the stop projection 53 will encounter in successionthe latch strike 35 and latch stop 37 and be depressed thereby so thatthe slides may be freely entered into the cavities provided therefor inthe intermediate members. The inner upper surfaces of the stopprojections 52 and 53 will correspond to the inclined surfaces 38 and 39so that in the fully closed position of the slides 13 and 14 theresilient stop projections 52 and 53 may expand and remain in expandedposition in which event the stop projections 52 and 53 are in the pathsof the latch stops 36 and 37. By virtue of this arrangement the slidemembers 13 and 14, once moved home in the guideways 24 and 25, will bepermanently locked in place subject to limited sliding movement to causealignment of the slots 15, and 17 as shown in FIG. 6.

Where the cover member 11 is of transparent plastic the operator willhave at all times full view of the internal portions of all parts of theslides 13 and 14 and the action of the movable members thereon.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a bail member including a base bar and flexible prongs,a binder for Office folders comprising a. a base member,

b. a cover member, said base and cover members having registering slotsfor receiving the prongs,

c. an intermediate member between the base and cover members havingguideways therein opening through ends of the binder,

d. latch strikes on the intermediate member projecting into theguideways adjacent the open ends,

e. latch stops on the intermediate member projecting into the guidewaysin spaced relation to the latch strikes,

f. slide members slidable longitudinally in said guideways to in andout" positions,

g. latch members pivotally carried by the slide members for lateralmovement of the guideways and biased to movement toward the latchstrikes,

h. latch projections on the latch members positioned to interlock backof the latch strikes in the innermost position of the slide members inthe guideway,

i. means for moving the latch members laterally to release the latchprojections from the path of the latch strikes,

j. stop projections on the slide members positioned to encounter saidlatch stops to limit withdrawing movement of the slide members from theguideways, and

k. said slide members having slots through which the prongs are passedwhereby in the outer positions of the slide members the slide memberslots align with the slots in the base and cover members, and in theinner positions of the slide members the slots of the latter are shiftedout of such registration to form triple bights in the prongs.

2. A binder for office folders as claimed in claim 1 in which the slidemembers are of resilient plastic having slots adjacent the latch membersinto which the latch members may move in releasing the latch projectionsfrom latching engagement with the latch strikes.

3. A binder for office folders as claimed in claim 1 in which the slidemembers are of resilient plastic having slots adjacent the stopprojections to permit flexibility of said stop projectrons.

4. A binder for office folders as claimed in claim 1 in which the slidemembers are of resilient plastic having slots open through edges of theslide members and bent laterally at free end portions to align with saidlatch stops.

5. A binder for office folders as claimed in claim 4 in which saidguideways have pilot cavities at inner ends with inclined surfacesadjacent the pilot cavities to receive edge portions of the stopprojections in the inner positions of the slide members.

1. For use with a bail member including a base bar and flexible prongs,a binder for office folders comprising a. a base member, b. a covermember, said base and cover members having registering slots forreceiving the prongs, c. an intermediate member between the base andcover members having guideways therein opening through ends of thebinder, d. latch strikes on the intermediate member projecting into theguideways adjacent the open ends, e. latch stops on the intermediatemember projecting into the guideways in spaced relation to the latchstrikes, f. slide members slidable longitudinally in said guideways to''''in'''' and ''''out'''' positions, g. latch members pivotally carriedby the slide members for lateral movement of the guideways and biased tomovement toward the latch strikes, h. latch projections on the latchmembers positioned to interlock back of the latch strikes in theinnermost position of the slide members in the guideway, i. means formoving the latch members laterally to release the latch projections fromthe path of the latch strikes, j. stop projections on the slide memberspositioned to encounter said latch stops to limit withdrawing movementof the slide members from the guideways, and k. said slide membershaving slots through which the prongs are passed whereby in the outerpositions of the slide members the slide member slots align with theslots in the base and cover members, and in the inner positions of theslide members the slots of the latter Are shifted out of suchregistration to form triple bights in the prongs.
 2. A binder for officefolders as claimed in claim 1 in which the slide members are ofresilient plastic having slots adjacent the latch members into which thelatch members may move in releasing the latch projections from latchingengagement with the latch strikes.
 3. A binder for office folders asclaimed in claim 1 in which the slide members are of resilient plastichaving slots adjacent the stop projections to permit flexibility of saidstop projections.
 4. A binder for office folders as claimed in claim 1in which the slide members are of resilient plastic having slots openthrough edges of the slide members and bent laterally at free endportions to align with said latch stops.
 5. A binder for office foldersas claimed in claim 4 in which said guideways have pilot cavities atinner ends with inclined surfaces adjacent the pilot cavities to receiveedge portions of the stop projections in the inner positions of theslide members.